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...

"Nothing in this world will keep me apart from you any longer." - Ignis Scientia

Cor lead the two of them down the spiral of the Disc, where Titan once slept. It was all in ruins now, as Noctis had come years ago to forge a covenant and the Empire flew in to try and shut it down. It was here the Chancellor had confirmed his identity to them. It was here, that the biggest step in their adventure was taken.

Ignis noted that the Marshal was sweating profusely. He remembered being down here the first time and the temperature being unbearable. But now, it was comfortable and didn't bother him at all. The lower they traveled, the more the temperature rose. Ignis wondered where they were going, as it was so hot not even daemons came near here. As they came to the very bottom they stopped at some structure that wasn't debris and rubble. Ignis recognized it as a crystal, not unlike the one that Noctis was pulled into this. But this one lay on its side, dormant, dead it looked like. He looked over at Cor curiously.

"Is that a crystal?" asked Ignis.

"Yeah. Used to be Lestallum's. No one knew what happened to it, but it just showed up a few months ago," said Cor.

"So it isn't responsive?"

"No, hasn't been for decades."

"Why have you brought me here of all places?"

Cor shrugged, "I had a theory. With Nox's abilities floating around in you, maybe it will react. Couldn't hurt to try."

"I see. What are the results you wish for?"

"Honestly, I have no idea."

Ignis nodded at the man. With this crystal dead there wasn't a way he could suffer the same fate as Noctis. But perhaps the underlying power could do something for him. It was something he himself would have thought of had he known this was here. He walked up towards the crystal, a little uneasy about what he was about to do. He placed his hands on the smooth surface, waiting. Nothing happened, the crystal continued to remain dormant at his touch. He sighed, a little disappointed that nothing had happened. It was a worth a shot anyway.

"So much for that," said Cor, wiping sweat from his forehead.

Ignis nodded, about to take his hands off the crystal. But it burst to life, for only a second. But in that moment it released a shock wave so violent Cor was forced to his feet and Ignis flew across the crater and collided this an immovable rock. His head felt dizzy, his vision blurring with the impact. He heard the cry of his own name somewhere in the distance, as the light from the crystal died out once more. He was losing consciousness, Noxima forcing her way through him. He didn't even have anything in him to fight her, so he let her win.

.*.*.

General Oydis made her way discreetly to Tenebrae. She was there to escort Lady Lunafreya to Altissia, now that she was done meeting with her brother, Ravus. They were lucky that no one had found out about this secret meeting, or heads would fly all around Zagnatus Keep. The Empire wouldn't be able to touch the Oracle once she arrived in Altissia, which was what Oydis had been trying to do for weeks. But to no avail, this woman was adamant about where she was going and when.

So when she showed up in her trademark red dreadnaught, something that even her commanding officer had shadowed, they were not on their way to Altissia. In fact, Lady Lunafreya insisted that the two of them head towards the frozen desert. Frozen desert did not make sense, but to those of Eos, it was perfectly normal. When Shiva had fought the Empire among the mortals and was slain, she laid her wrath upon the desert, turning it into a frozen tundra. And forever it remained frozen, encased in ice and completely uninhabitable. Which seemed to be the perfect place to go.

The journey wasn't far, but it was too close to the Empire for her liking. Lady Lunafreya and Gentiana were with her as they descended onto the icy slopes. The blizzard was raging, and Oydis was much colder than normal. She never did do well with being cold, as she was always a little warm blooded. But she followed the two woman down this path that only they seemed to know. Gentiana had a gentle smile on her face, completely unaffected by the blizzard. Lunafreya was cold, but was handling it much better than Oydis.

After her limps appeared to be thoroughly numb, they finally jumped down into a cavern away from the wind. Lunafreya put a hand on her shoulder, which actually warmed the girl up. She nodded at the girl in thanks, following the woman down the dark path. There were no daemons here, no monsters, nothing. It was too cold, or the power of the Oracle kept them at bay. But either way, Oydis was ready as she kept her sense focused on the world around them. Lunafreya began to glow as they got further into the tunnel, lighting the path for them.

It was hollow inside, almost like they were inside of a giant root of a tree. Oydis could feel a pulsing coming from within, only getting stronger the more they walked. She was aware of the strange smile and look that Gentiana kept on her as they pressed forward, and it made her extremely uncomfortable. But they kept walking, for what seemed like miles. The temperature seemed to rise as they went deeper into it. And finally she could see fire at the end of it. She almost raced towards it, wanting to feel the warmth of flame around her skin once more.

Her amethyst eyes widened as they stepped through what she could only call a doorway. She was stunned at what she was seeing. The inside of the cave donned a massive tree, Something she had never before seen. It went higher than any building, any tree. And it was breathtaking. The roots, one of which they were traveling in were thick, twisted and still growing it looked like. They covered a massive surface area, and dug underground. At the top she could see the circular form of the leaves. Above that was an ice encasing, keeping the tree hidden from prying eyes. The branches shot out, some straight, some crooked in its containment. The leaves were a warm colour, greens, pinks, purples, blues. It unlike anything else in the world, and it took her breath away.

There was a warm feeling that spread through her, and she involuntarily stepped towards it a few feet. She put her hand on the root right in front of her. The tree felt alive, she was struck by it. In the moment that her hand touched the gnarled root, she saw everything the tree had seen in its life. Images flooded her mind, coming at her so fast she was unable to distinguish between them. She shook her hand free, coming back reality. She looked back at the two women. Lady Lunafreya smiled at her, as she pointed her trident at the tree. A light shone from the trident, going straight towards the center of the massive bark.

Oydis watched in amazement as the bark seemed to open up willingly, responding to the call of the Oracle. Once the light had disappeared, what remained was a crystal, almost identical to the one that she often saw within Insomnia walls. It was active, its light shining through within the ice cavern. She could almost hear a whisper, calling to her, begging her to come near the crystal inside. She let out a breath she wasn't even sure she was holding, as her eyes met Lunafreya's.

"This is the Iifa tree, isn't it?" asked Oydis.

"The very same," replied Luna, smiling at the girl.

"What are we doing here? Isn't that the crystal?"

"It is one crystal. One of two remaining."

"There were more..." she looked back at the tree in wonder.

Gentiana stepped forward, placing a hand on Oydis' shoulder, which sent a shiver down the girls spine, "There is much you need to learn, dear sister."

Oydis looked over at the messenger in alarm, "What are you talking about?"

"The time has come, Noxima," Lunafreya spoke in her gentle voice. Oydis looked back at her, "You have always been fighting, your entire life. Fighting in the shadows, for a purpose that wasn't yours. Today, you will finally understand your true purpose in life."

"I already know why I was born," she said, still confused at what was happening.

"You have scratched the surface of it, but only now, can you know the full story of who you are."

"Who you will become," said Gentiana gently.

Oydis was thoughtful as the two regarded her sagely. She looked back towards the crystal within the Iifa tree. That same sort of whispering filled her ears, a song that she should know, yet she couldn't recall the words. She looked back at Luna, seeing the same smile on her face.

"It's time," said Gentiana.

"Go forth and receive your birthright. Let nothing stand in your way," said Luna.

Oydis nodded slowly, turning her attention back towards the Iifa tree. With Gentiana at her side, she began her walk towards the crystal, that whisper becoming louder, turning into something audible. She was right in suspecting it was a song, but it was a song in a language only maybe three or four people could understand. It invited her towards the crystal, and with anticipation, she climbed up the roots of the tree, towards what was supposed to be her destiny.

...

Noxima used Ignis' walking stick as a cane as she leaned on him more than she wished. Her injuries sustained from her countless fights with Ardyn since she had come to scout ahead at Zagnatus Keep were far more grave than she would admit to either Ignis or Gladiolus. She guided Ignis while he held her up, leading them towards the path that their host would only let them. Gladiolus was a few steps in front of them, keeping the small daemon threats from getting to them. Nox used the stick to help, but her movements caused her to wince and Ignis did his best to stabilize her.

She wasn't able to keep up a fast pace, but they were patient with her. She hadn't found another weapon to use besides the walking stick and that didn't sit too well with her. The amount of fallen MT's scared her. In her first encounter with Ardyn they were all functioning. Shortly after that, they just... died. They were littered all over the floor, only grabbing at them once in a while. She purposefully pushed the walking stick in every single one, making sure that they wouldn't come back and trip them.

As they entered another room that was conveniently unlocked for them, and then locked up again once they stepped inside. She was a little tired of that, hating when she lost control of a situation. But here she was walking nearly as blind as Ignis around this place, forced to do things she didn't want to do. The room was a small office, a couple of computer systems. In front of them was another door that lead to a room below, connected by a staircase. The windows suggested that this was a testing room, and up where they stood watch was an operations center.

"What is this place?" asked Gladiolus as he looked around.

"If I have to guess, I'd say some daemon obstacle course," answered Noxima in disgust.

The lights killed out, making the room pitch black. Each of them strained their ears, on guard for anything that might be lurking in the room with them. Nox had a bad feeling in the core of her body. She tried to keep her breath even, feeling Ignis' grip on her tighten.

Give into the darkness, and see with unclouded eyes

Arydn's voice taunted them while they were blind. There was a noise that sounded like the doors were opening. A gust of wind burst through, and Ignis' grip on Noxima slipped. He fell to his knees at the sudden jerk, hearing the doors close and his walking stick fall to the ground. He heard another crash, followed by the sound of her distress. Though it was muffled, she was on the other side of the door. And the lights turned on, but they were still stuck in the room.

"Nox!" he heard Gladiolus cry.

"What's going on?" asked Ignis, trying to keep his voice even, calm, calculated.

Ardyn laughed, "Oh Princess, you're so stubborn," he spoke, as he kicked her away.

She cried in pain, hateful tears coming to her eyes. Ignis could only guess the worst of what was happening, while he heard the muffled sounds of fighting in the other room below them. Gladiolus growled as he threw things all over the place. Ignis stood still so as not to get in the way. Finally, he heard the consistent noise of Gladiolus trying to break through a steel door with an object he had found, grunting as he did so. It appeared the windows weren't going to get broken so easily, the door was the best option.

"You're one to talk," she gritted between her teeth, almost breathless.

Ardyn punched her in the stab wound he inflicted upon her earlier. Her scream filled the room, but it was also mixed with the sounds of Gladiolus struggling to break the door so that the two of them could do something to help her. Rage was bubbling within both crowns guard, the more they heard Ardyn's voice, the sound of Noxima's struggle as she was being used as a punching bag.

"How much longer will you resist me?" Ardyn mocked her as he kept up his attack.

Noxima just growled as she pick up the first thing she could to try and attack him. He picked her up by the neck and threw her across the room effortlessly. She grunted as she crashed into the mess of tables, her head in a haze as she struggled to get to her feet.

"How much longer are you going to insist toying with me?" she wheezed, pulling herself up slowly.

"You're only denying your own true King, your true destiny to rule in the darkness your grew up in."

It was her turn to laugh. She could tell it infuriated him, and it only made her feel better about the pain he inflicted upon her. She hardened her amethyst eyes at his angry frown. She could hear the sounds of someone trying to break through the door upstairs, hating the reinforced steel doors of this place. But if anyone could break through, it'd be Gladiolus.

"True King?" she laughed harder, "Where's your crown, King Nothing?" she spat in his face with disgust.

Her words made his face hard. He came at her again, so fast she had no time to react. He dug his hand into the stab wound, shocking her inside. She screamed in pure agony at his actions, tears streaming down her face. Those screams filled Ignis' ears. He gripped his walking stick tightly, the hatred spread through his body, and he was still unable to get to her to help.

"Gladio!" Ignis shouted, as the screams persisted.

"I'm trying!" Gladio grunted, yelling as with one more final swing.

The door burst open, Gladiolus not bothering with the stairs as he jumped down to where both Adryn and Noxima were. Gladiolus came to attack Ardyn but he only faded away laughing. He disappeared then, back into the shadows hidden away.

Feel the darkness fester within you. Let it taint your soul as it has mine!

His voice echoed along the room. Gladiolus growled, as Ignis carefully made his way over to the sounds of them. Noxima had fallen to the ground, holding the wound and crying silent tears. Her screams had subsided, and she felt Gladio's massive hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him, and he moved her so that he could see the damage done. He sighed heavily, about to pull out another potion. She grabbed his hand, stopping him and shaking her head no. He was about to protest, but she looked over at Ignis as he slowly made his way over towards her.

"Ignis, about 20 feet to your left there's a door, go see if it opens. I'm going to need Gladio's help getting up," she instructed him weakly. He nodded, walking away hesitantly.

She looked at her wound, noting the dark black bubbles that started to form within it. She was having trouble breathing, as she could feel the darkness Ardyn infected her with begin to spread upon her body. Gladiolus was looking at her thoughtful, the stress evident on his face. She met his gaze, and shook her head. He looked sad, his amber eyes going to scan the infected area.

"Nothing?" he confirmed with her.

"Nothing. I'm going to die and I'm going to do it tonight," she responded quietly, not wanting Ignis to hear.

"Iggy, he-"

"Won't know. He can't, he's been through enough and there's nothing we can do."

"Nox, I can't keep this from him."

"Gladio, are you really going to deny a dying woman her last wish?" she smirked weakly.

He grunted, lifting her gently in his arms and trying to get her to her feet, "No. But it'll kill him."

"He's a big boy, he'll survive."

"The door is open!" announced Ignis, staying near the door on guard.

Gladiolus helped Noxima walk towards him. Once they had closed the gap, Ignis resumed helping her, as they stepped through the door and towards another portion of Ardyn's game.

.*.*.

Ignis shook his head, feeling pain at the back of it. As he moved he felt more pain in his back and he grunted. He focused on that pain, placing a hand on his chest. He summoned the powers within him feeling relief sweep through him, the pain disappearing. He stood then, looking around for Cor. The damage done to the surrounding area was great, but the dormant crystal still laid unresponsive. Ignis found Cor on the ground, unconscious. He appeared to be mostly unharmed. Ignis knelt down and placed a hand on his back, calling up Noxima's power. Cor grunted, waking up and moving to his knees. Ignis sighed with relief.

"Some reaction," said the Marshal, getting to his feet.

"Indeed," agreed Ignis.

Cor rubbed his head, grunting again, "You really got a hang of that power."

"With your help of course."

Ignis looked around, the debris centered from the light that shone from the crystal he touched. They were lucky that they weren't hurt, and that no daemons came to surround them. Ignis pondered that. Since they entered the Disc, there was no enemy activity. He looked back at the crystal and wondered if there was some sort of resonating power within it still. No one knows why the other crystals had gone dormant. He walked over to it, a thoughtful frown on his face.

"You're not going to do it again are you? Immortal or not, I am getting a bit too old for this," said Cor.

"When I was struck with the light, I saw something," said Ignis.

"What did you see?"

"I wish I knew. But it was a similar experience that Noxima had with the Iifa tree."

"The Iifa tree? She found it?"

Ignis turned to face the man, "Shiva had it hidden in the desert. Hidden, and waiting for Nox's arrival."

"So what happened?"

"She saw something once she made contact with the tree. I'm afraid I was unable to decipher the images in her mind. But, they are the exact same as the ones that plagued mine. This crystal here, it has power within it."

"But not enough to mean anything."

"No, but it reacted. Whether it was to me or Nox's imprint I cannot be sure," Ignis turned his gaze back towards the crystal.

"Best to leave it alone. With her imprint or not, you still can't handle that kind of power."

Ignis sighed, "I suppose you're right," he conceded.

He turned his back and walked towards the Marshal. Without the scorching heat, this could have been a good place for survivors to come seeing as it was daemon free. But no one would survive here too long. As the two men began to walk away, the ground started to shake under them. They both turned on the defensive, looking on in disbelief. A bright light shone from the former dormant crystal. They shielded their eyes before it faded away. The crystal began to float back up off the ground. It stood right side up, with a small light in the center of it.

Ignis walked towards it tentatively, hearing a song within it. At least, that's what he thought he was hearing. It was a whisper, but it only grew louder as he got closer. He could hear Cor's footsteps behind him. The crystal wasn't inviting, didn't shine as brightly as the one that was in Zagnatus Keep, nor the one he saw within Nox's memories in the heart of the Iifa tree. But nonetheless, the crystal had woken up, and it had done so after his touch. He was standing next to it, careful not to touch it again, as a familiar voice filled his ears.

Make my wish come true, let darkness fade to light

Show me there's still hope, show me it's not over

Battles we can win, our struggle lies within

Will we live to greet the dawn?

Love will not leave you, hate will not heal you

Promise me one day that peace shall reign.

Ignis could hear her voice clear as day. Nox... It brought a tears to his eyes as the words sang in his head. Those same lines sang over and over in his head, the words touching his very soul.

Promise me on day that peace shall reign.

"Promise me that you'll rid the world of darkness? That you'll stop Starscourge?"

"I promise, Nox..." he whispered, her song starting again within his ears. He wiped away his tears, turning his back and leaving with Cor at his side.

...

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